Beverage can cooler



Ffih 1967 A. M. STONER ETAL 3,3 02A2? BEVERAGE CAN COOLER Filed Dec. 28,1964 4 Sheets-Sheet l Feb, 7, 1987 A. M. STONER ETAL. 302A? BEVERAGE CANCOOLER 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 28, 1964 //V I/E/V TONS ARTHUR M'-STU/V51? mom m2 0. saw/mom ATRIVEV Filed Dec. 28, 1964 A. M. STONER ETALBEVERAGE CAN COOLER 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 llVl/E/V TOPS ARTHUR M. 570MB?RICH/4WD G. SCHNEIDER Ul/V Feb. 7, R967 A. M. STONER ETAL 3,

BEVERAGE CAN COOLER Filed Dec. 28, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 4;

m zza 2 6G 67E M Q. I I 60 I I //Vl/E/VTOR5 ARTHUR M, STU/V51? RICHARDG. SCHNEIDER f? L.

A 7" TOWIVE United States Patent 07 3,302,427 BEVERAGE CAN COOLER ArthurM. Stoner and Roger L. Paquin, Madison, Conn.,

and Richard C. Schneider, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignors to Aldco,Incorporated, Clinton, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Dec.28, 1964, Ser. No. 421,501 Claims. (Cl. 62-457) This invention relatesto a device for cooling or keeping cool a can of liquid.

Many beverages, including beer, soft drinks, and fruit juices, are notonly sold in cans but are drunk directly from the can. From-the-canconsumption saves washing glasses or using disposable cups, and manypeople prefer it. One cannot, however, cool such drinks by adding ice tothem; so the cans are normally cooled by placing them in a refrigeratorfor several hours. For parties and on many other occasions, there maynot be enough space to put all the cans needed into the refrigerator.Moreover, it is often desirable to be able to cool a roomtemperature canand drink its contents on short notice, without having to wait severalhours for it to become cool enough for consumption.

Even when a can has been cooled in the refrigerator, it is desirable toprovide some way of keeping the drink cool while it is being consumed,because cans warm up quickly through their conductive walls, drawingheat from the hand that holds them as Well as from the atmosphere,Moreover, a cool can just taken out of the refrigerator is too cool tobe held comfortably, because of the rapid heat transfer provided by itsmetal walls.

The present invention solves these problems by providing a coolingdevice which is especially adapted for use with cans. It can be used tocool a room-temperature beverage to a good drinking temperature right inthe can, or it can be used to keep cool a refrigerated can of beverage.Moreover, the device provides a handle that is warm and does not feelcold to the touch as does a cold can. Also, the device will cool or keepcool a drinking glass, and if desired, the liquid can be poured from thecan or from a bottle into such a glass and the glass inserted in thedevice, and cooled or kept cool by it. The invention enables service tothose people who do not like to drink directly from the can with thesame equipment that is used by the people who prefer drinking from thecan and with the same advantage of keeping the drink cool for a longtime.

The cooling device includes a double-walled container of specialstructure; sealed between its walls is a liquid which, before use, isfrozen in a suitable freezer. A handle attached to the double-walledcontainer by a novel structure enables one to treat the device as a mugwhile also enabling one to hold the cold drink without getting oneshands cold.

For a cooling device of this type to work efficiently, a large coolingarea should make snug contact with the can to be cooled, and thispresented a problem because typical cans have chimes or seams on theirends which are larger in diameter than the rest of the can; a can cannotbe inserted into a cylinder that will snugly engage its walls, becausethe chimes are too large for such insertion, and a cylinder large enoughto accommodate the can chimes or seams will not make contact with morethan a small area on one side of the main can wall. The presentinvention provides a cooling unit in which the chime of the can can beforced down into the unit and can be accommodated at its lower end,while spring means forces nearly the entire area of the side walls ofthe can into contact with a wall of the cooling device; in this Way,eflicient heat transfer is achieved.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will apethylene.

3,302,427 Patented Feb. 7, 1967 pear from the following description .ofsome preferred forms thereof.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a cooling device embodying theprinciples of the present invention, with a beverage can installedtherein.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view in vertical section taken along the line 3-3 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a view of the capsule portion of the device, also taken alongthe line 3-3 in FIG. 2 but showing the capsule of the cooling deviceremoved from the mug-like holder and before insertion of the can, inorder to show the initial interior shape of the inner wall. The volumeoccupied by a can is indicated in phantom lines.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the empty capsule of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a view in section taken. along the line 66 in FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a view like FIG. 6 showing the can in place. A portion hasbeen broken off to conserve space.

FIG. 8 is a view in section takenalong the line 8-8 in FIG. 4.

FIG. 9 is a view in section taken along the line 9- 9 in FIG. 4.

FIG. 10 is a view in perspective of a modified form of the invention.

FIG. 11 is a view in side elevation and partly in section of the deviceof FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a view in section taken along the line 12-12 in FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a view in side elevation and partly in section of the handleand spring assembly of the device of FIG. 10.

FIG. 14 is a view in elevation of the spring of FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a view in section taken along the line 15-15 in FIG. 13.

FIG. 16 is a view in section taken along the line 16-16 in FIG. 13.

FIG. 17 is a view in section taken along the line 17-17 in FIG. 13.

The article of this invention includes a novel doublewalled cooling unitor capsule 10, preferably made from flexible plastic material, such aspolypropylene or poly- For example, the wall thickness may be about 0.03inch. The unit or capsule 10 may conveniently be made from two plasticmoldings, namely, (1) an inner shell 11 and (2) an outer shell 12- witha base plate 13. The two shells 11 and 12 are hermetically sealedtogether with a coolant liquid 14 inside, filling about of the interimspace. The refrigerating liquid or coolant 14 is chosen according to thecharacteristics desired for a particular application, depending on thequantity of the material intended to be cooled, that is, the can size,and depending upon how long the drink is to be kept cool; the amount andtype of liquid 14 may also be influenced by whether the capsule 10 is tobe the sole agency for cooling the can, whether it is to be merely usedfor keeping an already cold beverage cool while it is being drunk, orwhether it is to be used for both purposes. A typical liquid 14 is awater solution of glycerin.

The inner shell 11 provides a generally cylindrical inner wall 15 thatis made from thin and suitably flexible plastic, preferably about 0.03inch in thickness. The bore 15 is preferably molded to the same diameteras the beverage cans 20, which may be steel or aluminum. The upper endof the bore 15 has a flared or frustoconical entry portion 16 and agenerally horizontal lip 17. The conical lead-in portion 16 helps toguide a can into the bore 15 of the capsule 10. The inner shell 11 alsoprovides a central seat 18 upon which the bottom wall 19 of theinstalled can 20 rests. The seat 18 is raised above the lower end of thewall 15, and its rim 21 is spaced radially inwardly from it, beingjoined to it by a web portion comprising a tapered wall 22 and anannular lower end 23, forming a well 24 around and below the seat 18. Arelief or recess 25 is radially outset in the bore 15, and this veryimportant structure enables the bore of the plastic capsule 10 to expandso that the chime or bottom bead 26 of the steel can can pass down intothe well 24. In addition, this relief has the unusual effect of shapingthe frozen refrigerant 14, so that when the refrigerant 14 expands asthe result of freezing, the capsule 10 is forced slightly out of round.This expansion causes the diameter AA in FIG. 6 (the one bisecting therecess 25) to become greater, like the major axis of an ellipse, whilecausing the diameter B-B perpendicular to the diameter A-A to becomeless, like the minor axis of the ellipse. This change in shape serves toput the bore 15 firmly in contact with the outside walls 29 of the can20. This contact is particularly important when the can 20 is first putinto the capsule 10, for it is desirable to get the greatest possibleheat transfer initially, so that if the capsule 10 is used for coolingbeverages in a can 20 that is at room temperature when inserted, thetime necessary for the cooling to take place is minimized. As therefrigerant 14 melts, it contracts and therefore the pressure resultingfrom the expansion of the refrigerant and the distortion from the roundcondition of the capsule 10 are both reduced.

In order to maintain a good contact for heat transfer purposes betweenthe bore 15 of the capsule 10 and the diameter of the can 20 being held,spring means are employed to hold the can side walls 29 in contact withthe bore 15. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 16, plastic fins 27, 28extend from the bore 15 and act as the spring means. When the can 20 isinserted, these fins 27, 28 are bent outwardly (compare FIGS. 6 and 7),and serve to apply inward pressure that keeps the can wall 29 in contactwith the bore 15 of the capsule 10 at all times.

The seat 18 provides an area clear of the bead or chime 26 for heattransfer between the bottom 19 of the can 20 and the refrigerant 14. Italso provides enough distance from the bead or chime 26 below it andaround it to enable the inner shell 11 to flex to accommodate the beador chime 26 and to accommodate the distortion of the container bore 15without breaking the plastic. If the inner shell 11 were anchoreddirectly to the base plate 13 or otherwise made without the well 24, thedistance would not be enough to enable deflection without excessivestresses in the plastic. Furthermore, the seat 18 and well 24configuration provides clearance for a ridge on the surface of one styleof aluminum can, so that the flat surface at the bottom 19 of that canwill still be in contact with the supporting cooling surface 18.

The can cooling unit 19 is particularly effective and appreciated withaluminum cans, since the thin wall of aluminum cans has a much greaterrate of heat transfer than do steel cans and will cool faster; also,Without the device of this invention, aluminum cans tend to warm upfaster.

The tapered wall 22 of the inner shell 11 encloses a space underneaththe seat 18. When the unit 10 is warm and is turned mouth down, as itusually and preferably is when placed into a freezer, enough liquid 14remains in the space 30 for a portion 31 to freeze there and remain nextto the seat 18. The liquid 14 is thus distributed where it will be inthe most effective position for cooling the can 20. As it thaws in use,it drips down, but there is much remaining cooling power even after theliquid 14 thaws, and this dripping fills the space 30 with the coldliquid 14.

Thus, summarizing about the inner shell 11, the bore 15 has the verticalrecess 25 and the inwardly converging springy fins 27, 28 at each sideof the recess 25 that flex when the can 20 is inserted and take theposition shown in FIG. 7, holding approximately eight-five percent ofthe inner wall 15 in contact with the wall 29 of the can 20; at the sametime, the can bottom 19 is in contact with the supporting seat 18. Atthese contact areas, the thin plastic is all that separates the can 20from the refrigerated liquid 14 inside the unit 10, so that the coolingtakes place through the walls 15 and 18 of the container 10 and thehighly conductive metal walls 29 and 19 of the can.

The outer shell 12 has a generally cylindrical main side wall 33 with anupper flange 34 that is'used for assembly of the capsule 10. The outershell 12 may be made with the flange 34 initially somewhat wider thanshown in the drawing. It mates with the flange or lip 17 of the innershell 11, and these flanges 17 and 34 are then preferably sealed to eachother by being spun together, the spinning resulting in an extrusion offlash which is trimmed off to make a smooth edge.

The bottom plate portion 13 of the she-ll 12 is preferably recessed asat 35 and is provided with a central opening 36. From around the opening36 a cylindrical projection or tubular support portion 37 extendsupwardly and is provided with slots 38 that extend down from an upperedge 39. The inner shell 11 is preferably provided with an annularcentral groove 40 defined by a pair of depending annular projections 41,42. After assembly together of the shells 11 and 12 by the spinningoperation of the flanges 34 and 17, the capsule 10 is filled to thedesired amount with the refrigerant liquid 14 through the hole 36 in thebottom plate 13. Then a plug 43 is inserted into the hole 36 and isspun-welded to the plate 13. The edge 39 of the projection 37 from theouter shell 12 lies within the groove 40 in the bottom of the innershell 11, and during this second spin-weld ing operation, pressure isapplied through the bottom 18 of the inner container 11 opposite thegroove 40 to support the bottom 13 of the outer container 12. The support also helps the endurance of the completed capsule 10. The plug 43preferably has a key 44 that is engaged by a driver extending from thespindle of the spin-welding machine. To assist in the filling, the threeslots 38 provide passages through which the refrigerant fluid 14 flowsinto the double-walled container, and a weir like groove 45 enables therefrigerant fluid 14 to pass from the space 30 into the space betweenthe walls 15 and 33 of the capsule 10.

By adjusting the amount of refrigerant fluid 14 in the double-walledcontainer 10, the pressure applied between the bore 15 of the capsule 10and the can 20 being held can be varied. In other words, if thedouble-walled space is filled, say full, the amount of distortion fromthe round condition along the diameters AA and BtB and the pressureresulting from the expansion due to the freezing of the refrigerant 14beyond this point will cause the bore 15 of the capsule 10 to distortand buckle in wardly so that the can 20 cannot be inserted, and the useof less than an ideal amount of refrigerant 14 will reduce the pressurebetween the bore 15 of the capsule 10 and the diameter of the can 20being held, so that the heat transfer is not as fast as that underoptimum conditions. Also, the refrigerant fluid formula can be adjustedso as to make the frozen refrigerant solution softer, more snow-like,thus permitting easier insertion of the can.

In a preferred form of the invention, shown in FIGS. 13, the refrigerantcapsule 10 is slipped into an outer container 50 which is a moldedplastic cup or mug 51 with a handle 52. The mug 51 provides dead airspace insulation around the capsule 10 and makes it convenient to use.The outer container 50 has a circular mouth or lip 53 that is sized tothe flange 34 as it is after the spinwelding of the inner shell 11 tothe outer shell 12. The dead air space 54 includes a small clearance 55between the annular bottom portion 56 of the plate 13 and the bottomportion 57 of the outer container 50, so that when the beverage can 20is pressed into the bore of the inner shell 11, only slight distortionof the capsule 10 and of the outer container 50 occurs before the thrustload is divided between the flange 34 and the bottom 57 of the outercontainer 50.

An alternate construction is shown in FIGS. 10-17. This incorporates aplastic spring 60 to which is secured a handle 61. This spring 60 isgenerally of the leaf type and is inserted in the groove 25 so that itbears between the capsule 10 and the side wall 29 of the beverage canbeing held, and it not only has suflicient strength to serve to hold thecan 20 in contact with the bore 15 of the capsule 10 during the meltingand consequent shrinkage of the refrigerant, but also providessulficient friction so that the handle 61 is held in place. When thisarrangement is used, the outer container 50 is eliminated, and thecapsule 10 can be used in connection with a coaster to collect meltedfrost or with a cloth sock-like insulating means similar to that now onthe market for insulating high-ball glasses and the like. When theplastic spring 60 and handle 61 are used, the fins 27, 28 may also beeliminated from the capsule 10, although the spring-handle combinationwill work equally well when these fins are in place.

The spring 60 may have rounded side edges 62, 63 and be slightly archedto a center rib 64, and there may also be a bowing out of the rib 64from top and bottom toward the center at a portion 65, where it firstmakes contact with the can walls 29. At the upper end of the spring 50may be a horizontal extension 66 providing a socket 67, and the handle61 may have a portion 68 that fits into the socket 67, or thehandle-spring combination may be one integral piece.

The device 10 can, of course, be washed very readily even if thebeverage is poured into it and it is used for drinking, and there is noneed to get inside, i.e., in between the inner and outer shells, nor arethere any places for food particles or drink particles to catch andrender cleaning difficult.

To those skilled in the art to which this invention relates, manychanges in construction and widely differing embodiments andapplications of the invention will suggest themselves without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention. The disclosures and thedescription herein are purely illustrative and are not intended to be inany sense limiting.

We claim:

1. A cooling device for use with cylindrical cans of beverage, includingin combination:

a double walled container having an inner wall, an

outer wall, and a bottom plate,

said inner wall being generally cylindrical and having integrallyconnected therewith a longitudinally extending and radial-1y outsetrecess and said wall being of flexible plastic and having acan-supporting seat at its lower end,

a refrigerant liquid in the space defined by said walls,

plate, and seat, and

spring means in and extending along the recess for forcing thecylindrical Wall of a can into contact with said inner wall.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said seat is spaced inwardly from saidinner wall and connected thereto by an annular web lying below saidseat.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein said spring means comprises a pair ofvertical fins, one on each side of overlying said recess extendinggenerally radially inwardly and flexing outwardly toward said recessupon insertion of a can.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein said spring means comprises a separateplastic spring member disposed in said recess and flexed upon insertionof a can.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein said spring member is provided with asocket extending horizontally over the top of the device and wherein ahandle member is inserted in said socket.

6. A cooling device for use with cylindrical cans of beverage, includingin combination:

a cup-like inner shellhaving a vertical generally cylindrical inner wallof flexible plastic having integrally connected therewith a radiallyoutwardly extending recess extending for substantially the full heightof said inner wall,

a cup-like outer shell having an outer wall joined at its upper end tosaid inner wall and having a bottom plate,

said inner shell having a can-supporting seat of less diameter than saidinner wall spaced above said bottom plate and inwardly from said innerwall and joined thereto below said seat, and

a refrigerant liquid in the space defined by said walls,

plate, and seat, and

spring means associated with said recess and having a portion extendingradially inwardly of said inner wall for forcing an inserted can intocontact with said inner wall.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein said bottom plate has a central openingaround which a cylindrical portion projects upwardly into contact withsaid seat, said cylindrical portion being provided with passage meansfor flow of liquid therethrough, and a closure cap closing said openingand sealed to said plate, said seat being provided with a pair ofconcentric depending annular beads defining an annular groove betweenthem for sealing said cylindrical portion.

8. A cooling device for use with cylindrical cans of beverage, includingin combination:

an inner wall of flexible plastic having a vertical cylindrical borewith an upper outwardly flared portion and a vertical radially outsetrecess having a pair of spring fins integral therewith at the placewhere the recess meets the rest of the bore.

a generally cylindrical outer wall joined at the top to said upperportion of said inner wall at a lip,

a bottom plate closing the lower end of said outer wall,

a can-supporting seat above said bottom plate spaced inwardly from saidinner wall and joined thereto by a web portion lying below said seat andabove said plate, thereby providing a well around said seat,

a refrigerant liquid in the space enclosed by said walls,

plate, and seat, and

a mug-like outer container having a cup portion with an upper edgeengaging said lip and otherwise spaced from said outer wall to supportit and provide a dead air space around it and having a handle.

9. A cooling device for use with cylindrical cans of beverage, includingin combination:

an inner wall of flexible plastic material having a vertical, generallycylindrical bore having a vertical radially outset recessed portion, andhaving an upper portion smoothly flared outwardly and upwardly,

a generally cylindrical outer Wall of the same flexible plastic materialspaced radially away from and joined at the top to said upper portion ofsaid inner wall by a lip,

a bottom plate of flexible plastic material closing the bottom of saidouter wall,

a can-supporting seat integral with said inner wall portion and spacedinwardly therefrom and above said plate,

a web below said seat joining said seat to said cylindrical bore portionand providing an annular well around and below said seat,

said walls, plate, and seat defining a space that is hermeticallysealed,

a refrigerant liquid in said space,

a spring of the leaf type in said recess for urging a can into snugcontact with said bore and having an extension at its upper endextending above said lip and radially beyond said outer shell and handlemeans secured to said extension.

10. A cooling device for use with cylindrical vessels,

including in combination:

a double walled container having sealed-together inner and outer cupsenclosing a space between them,

said inner cup having an inner wall with a generally cylindrical borewhich is provided with a radially outset recess for its full height,said cup being of flexibleplastic and having a can-supporting seat,

a refrigerant liquid in the space between said cups, and

spring means at said recess for forcing the cylindrical wall of a saidvessel into contact with said bore, said with edges engaging ends ofsaid recess and an inwardly bowed web flexed upon insertion of a can andhaving a radially outward portion extending horizontally over the top ofthe double walled container and a generally vertical handle memberdepending from said radially outward portion for holding the device.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,771,186 7/1930Mock 62--457 2,039,736 5/1936 Munters et al 62457 3,205,678 9/1965Stoner 62457 spring means comprising a separate plastic member 15 LLOYDL KING, Primary Examiner-

1. A COOLING DEVICE FOR USE WITH CYLINDRICAL CANS OF BEVERAGE, INCLUDINGIN COMBINATION: A DOUBLE WALLED CONTAINER HAVING AN INNER WALL, AN OUTERWALL, AND A BOTTOM PLATE, SAID INNER WALL BEING GENERALLY CYLINDRICALAND HAVING INTEGRALLY CONNECTED THEREWITH A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING ANDRADIALLY OUTSET RECESS AND SAID WALL BEING OF FLEXIBLE PLASTIC ANDHAVING A CAN-SUPPORTING SEAT AT ITS LOWER END, A REFRIGERANT LIQUID INTHE SPACE DEFINED BY SAID WALLS, PLATE, AND SEAT, AND SPRING MEANS INAND EXTENDING ALONG THE RECESS FOR FORCING THE CYLINDRICAL WALL OF A CANINTO CONTACT WITH SAID INNER WALL.